Drug & supplement interaction

Wild Indigo + Dextromethorphan

Dextromethorphan brand names: Hold, Benylin Adult, Benylin Pediatric, Theraflu Thin Strips Long Acting Cough, Neo Citran Thin Strips Cough.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Wild Indigo and Dextromethorphan in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first.

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Interaction report

Wild Indigo and Dextromethorphan

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Dextromethorphan and Wild Indigo in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Wild Indigo at all — not against Dextromethorphan, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Wild Indigo safety at a glance

Wild Indigo overall Use caution It may be safe in small amounts short-term, but larger doses can be toxic and cause vomiting and other effects.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used orally or topically due to its toxic potential. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Unsafe When used orally or topically due to its toxic potential. Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Dextromethorphan and Wild Indigo? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Wild Indigo Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Dextromethorphan. It is the side-effect record for Wild Indigo on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Wild Indigo, this list is the first place to look.

  • Diarrhea / Vomiting Additional detail

    “Orally, large doses of wild indigo are considered poisonous and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal complaints, and spasms (12). Wild indigo has also been studied in combination with other herbal extracts.”

    Wild Indigo · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    1 source cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.

    “Orally, large doses of wild indigo can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal complaints (12).”

    Wild Indigo · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    1 source cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Wild Indigo — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We haven’t matched Dextromethorphan to its FDA label in our system yet, so we can’t compare its own side-effect list here — the leaflet that comes with your prescription is the authoritative list for Dextromethorphan.

Special populations

Wild Indigo in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Unsafe

When used orally or topically due to its toxic potential.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

Overlapping uses

What Dextromethorphan Is Prescribed For, and What Wild Indigo Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Dextromethorphan is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Wild Indigo is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Dextromethorphan is prescribed for: Dextromethorphan temporarily relieves cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation, such as the kind that comes with the common cold or breathing in irritants. It also helps reduce the urge to cough so you — or your child — can get to sleep. Some products, including CVS Long Acting Cough and Premier Value Tussin Cough oral liquids, are also indicated to help loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions to help drain the airways.

Wild Indigo has been studied for:

  • Common cold studied, not established Wild Indigo has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Wild Indigo for common cold

    Clinical research shows that taking three tablets of a specific combination product (Esberitox, Schaper & Brümmer GmbH & Co. KG) containing dry extracts of echinacea root, thuja leaf, and wild indigo root three times daily for 7-9 days improves the severity of cold symptoms, general well-being, and overall response rate when compared with placebo in patients experiencing moderate cold symptoms.

    1 source cited
    1. 6392. Henneicke-von Zepelin H, Hentschel C, Schnitker J, et al. Efficacy and safety of a fixed combination phytomedicine in the treatment of the common cold (acute viral respiratory tract infection): results of a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled, m

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Dextromethorphan on your own; if you are taking Wild Indigo for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Wild Indigo or Dextromethorphan

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Wild Indigo or Dextromethorphan, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Dextromethorphan

This page covers Wild Indigo only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Dextromethorphan page lists 171 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lithium (major), St. John's Wort (major) and 1,3-dmaa (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 125 moderate · 42 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Dextromethorphan page

“A glass of grapefruit juice can push dextromethorphan (Benylin, Hold, and other cough medicines) to higher levels than intended, one of four major-rated entries among the 171 supplements and herbs on file, and the list as a whole warrants real care. Most interactions trace back to the liver enzymes (CYP3A4 and CYP2D6) that clear dextro…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Dextromethorphan interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Wild Indigo as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 175 real supplement products containing Wild Indigo, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Wild Indigo. Even though Wild Indigo itself has no known interaction with Dextromethorphan, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Wild Indigo and Dextromethorphan Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Wild Indigo
Steady interest

#895 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Dextromethorphan
Top 25%

#453 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Wild Indigo reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Wild Indigo and Dextromethorphan records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Wild Indigo

What is Wild Indigo?

  • Colds and flu
  • Immune support
  • Sore throat and upper respiratory infections
  • Minor infections
  • Mouth and gum irritation (traditional use)

Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) is a traditional herb most often used in combination products for colds and immune support, but high-quality human evidence is very limited. It can be toxic in larger amounts, so it should be used cautiously and only at low doses, and avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Baptisia tinctoria · Fabaceae · Root (and sometimes the leaves) · Tinctures, capsules, dried root for tea, and combination herbal products (often blended with echinacea and thuja)

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Wild Indigo is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Wild Indigo record says about it on its own.

Wild Indigo: dosing

There is no well-established standardized dose for wild indigo. It is most often found in small amounts within combination products, where the manufacturer sets the dose.Because the herb can be toxic at higher amounts, it is important to follow the product label exactly and not exceed the recommended dose. Do not assume that more is better.

From our Wild Indigo monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Wild Indigo monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Dextromethorphan

What Is Dextromethorphan Used For?

Brand names: Hold, Benylin Adult, Benylin Pediatric, Theraflu Thin Strips Long Acting Cough, Neo Citran Thin Strips Cough

Dextromethorphan temporarily relieves cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation, such as the kind that comes with the common cold or breathing in irritants. It also helps reduce the urge to cough so you — or your child — can get to sleep.

Some products, including CVS Long Acting Cough and Premier Value Tussin Cough oral liquids, are also indicated to help loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions to help drain the airways.

See full Dextromethorphan drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Wild Indigo

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Wild Indigo — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Wild Indigo against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Wild Indigo list.

See the full Wild Indigo interactions page
See every supplement checked against Dextromethorphan, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Wild Indigo References

The 3 references that drive our Wild Indigo monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  2. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
  3. Henneicke-von Zepelin H, Hentschel C, Schnitker J, et al. Efficacy and safety of a fixed combination phytomedicine in the treatment of the common cold (acute viral respiratory tract infection): results of a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled, m

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Wild Indigo and Dextromethorphan Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Wild Indigo with Dextromethorphan?
We do not list a known interaction between Wild Indigo and Dextromethorphan. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Are Wild Indigo and Dextromethorphan used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Wild Indigo in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Dextromethorphan is being adjusted to a target.
Does Dextromethorphan interact with any supplements?
Yes. Dextromethorphan has documented interactions with 171 supplements in our database — Wild Indigo is not one of them. The Dextromethorphan interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Wild Indigo monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Dextromethorphan drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Dextromethorphan supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Dextromethorphan, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 3 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Dextromethorphan and Wild Indigo?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.